#Book Title Quest

[joandelahaye]

Help Me Name My Next Book! Uncover the Secrets of the Lost Kingdom of Lyonesse! 🏰🗝️ Book Deals and Freebies Await! 🎉

Hello, my Freaky Darlings! Greetings from the somewhat less frigid arse-end of Africa. Well, we’ve managed to avoid any bizarre gas explosions this week—hooray for small victories! However, we can’t say the same for the protest actions sprouting up all over the place, with burning tires and emergency service providers playing hide-and-seek with danger. It’s like watching a real-life game of cat…

[age-of-moonknight]

A Mighty Marvel Team-Up — Spider-Man: Quantum Quest! Graphic Novel. Amulet Books, 2024.

Writer and illustrator: Mike Maihack

[miinteaa]

Sskk redraw of a panel from The Disabled Tyrants Beloved Pet Fish

[bellaroles]

Yu Ziyou's transformation from a very polite, nice mannered, upright gentleman in his teenage years to this unpredictable irritable and sometimes outright crazy adult is just so sad. Well, when he suddenly realized that one of his foundations in life is all a lie, then why should he care about anyone's opinions of him anymore. I don't know if it was half an act to get the enemies' attention off him or really the result of a major nervous breakdown or the side effect of that toxin he's been intentionally ingesting himself. It's sad he just didn't trust no one anymore.

Also the premise of whether once there was and wasn't a connection between Zhong Wan and himself in the past, Zhong Wan using false rumours of their romance as a shield for his adopted family was very interesting. Off to an ambiguous starts lol. I was expecting Yu Ziyou to be angry about it but his reaction really surprised me. Still he didn't trust Zhong Wan nor did Zhong Wan him. Watching them planning and scheming separately but with the same result in mind then slowly learning to trust each other is so interesting. I may not remember it clearly but I was so happy when they finally joined forces to work together and take their enemies down.

[mistninja]

I would have called the trilogy "The Unexpected Son" instead of "Fitz and the Fool" but i think we can all agree hobb isnt good at titles. Which is wild considering the important role that names play in the story

[fredseibertdotcom]

“Best of Original Cartoons”

Best of Original Cartoons P... by Fred Seibert

When I left Frederator and set up FredFilms a few years ago I updated the Best of Frederator book we published. And then, I either did new editions or updates of all nine (as of now) of our promotional books. You can check them out as the ‘FredFilms Professional Library.’ Each of them is available as a downloadable PDF, or you can get hard copies at Amazon and Bookshop.

There are posters, cartoon sketches and full color artwork, jokes, some incredible graphics,  and lots and lots of postcards. In the ‘Best of Original Cartoons,’ there’s some of each.

Hope you enjoy them.

[nobodieshero-main]

okay so i was thinking about ahuru, as one does, and i was thinking about how much i don't want her death to just. be keika's backstory, yknow??

like i don't want to reduce her to just the main characters motivation, which is why i try to give her so much life in any scene she's in. but i think i wanna like- so, ahuru's death literally shapes nobodies hero, right? there'd be no story to tell if she hadn't been killed. and that's kind of a Big Deal to me.

so i think i'm going to symbolise the fuck out of birds. foreshadowing or whatever.

like when keika first meets mattie- he's in priah and he still doesn't have his memories back. he decides to go for a walk, just wandering through the mushrooms and the woods and then all of a sudden a game bird gets shot with an arow right in front of him. and when he looks up, he sees mattie with a bow and arrow, and that's how they meet.

and then in the next book it's revealed that Mattie is, technically, responsible for ahuru's death. it wasn't personal, in the same way hunting that bird wasn't personal, it was just...self preservation. they just shot an arrow and watched it land.

[the-kipsabian]

..so if we really do get the oc belt corruption arc

break up best friends and he idk fights with danhausen or something (i actually also like the idea of danhausen being turned to the dark side as well, we have seen glimpses of it before so it would be interesting to unleash demonhausen alongside dark!oc)

and the one that try to mend all that eventually would be the missing piece who doesnt fully understand whats happening for multiple reasons

kris

[kikuism]

my first dnf of the year is a book i was really looking forward to since i loved the author's first work.....

[gollancz]

Guys. Christmas is coming. Consumerism is in the driver's seat and GAWD don't I know about the existential ennui of all these faceless corporations trying to schill you their wares. It's cold. Impersonal. Bleak.

So I, a fellow tumblr user, will instead try to schill you MY wares, so that when you purchase these items you can say "Hey, that person from tumblr worked on this", and feel the warmth of HUMAN CONNECTION in a way that is completely normal and not parasocial at all. We really are friends. I promise. Yes, you. Love you, bestie. Remember the boop war? Good times. Fond memories.

THIRTEEN STOREYS and FAMILY BUSINESS by Jonathan Sims

Tumblr's favourite Nightmare Factory @jonnywaistcoat has two novels out and they're phenomenal horror that also punch you in the throat with SOCIAL COMMENTARY and FEELINGS. He's so adept at tapping into the specific part of my brain that feels fear like a small child - not the adult creepy scared that I normally get around horror, but specifically the kind of fear that almost freezes your limbs and vocal chords with a terror you don't quite understand because there is so much in the world that you don't know, but you know that somehow this thing might be quick enough or smart enough or sneaky enough to get you before you can get to the safety of your parents sort of fear.

THIRTEEN STOREYS is a haunted house novel, but set in a refurbished block of flats. Each chapter follows a different resident being haunted in a different way, with a style to match the flavour of ghost. It's all tied together phenomenally and brutally.

FAMILY BUSINESS is a story about ghosts in a different way, following a woman who joins a post-mortem house cleaning service while grieving the death of her best friend. But as she removes the stains from the houses of the dead, she begins to suspect something else is removing even more.

Both of these titles are available from Gollancz worldwide!

THE LAST UNICORN, THE WAY HOME, THE INNKEEPER'S SONG and A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE by Peter S. Beagle

Obviously Peter's work needs no introduction, and our editions aren't available in the US and Canada, but I've had a wonderful time working with Peter and his team to bring these beautiful books back to the UK. Meeting him at Worldcon this year was such a magical moment, and he was jet-lagged and I had gone through sleep deprived into hyper and was bringing an Extremely Weird Energy to every interaction I had that day, resulting in this photo:

THE LAST UNICORN and THE WAY HOME are a matched pair of wonderful fairy stories. THE WAY HOME has two novellettes in it, and the first - 'Two Hearts' - won the Hugo award. It will also destroy you.

A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE was Peter's first ever novel, and it's wistful and romantic and so beautiful.

THE INNKEEPER'S SONG is his epic fantasy quest, it's an adventure story that reads almost lyrically. Also there's an orgy in the middle which caught me by surprise when I was reading it for the first time on the train into work.

HIGH VAULTAGE by Chris and Jen Sugden

It's possible that someone on this website doesn't know I was involved with this book but don't worry, I will HUNT THEM DOWN AND TELL THEM. This is the first book I took all the way through the editorial process from end to end and I am SO PROUD of it and Chris and Jen and their wonderful world of @victoriocity. Officially one of the seven funniest books published in the UK this year, shortlisted for the Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. It's a chaotic, bonkers murder mystery set in an alternate Victorian London which is the most gleeful dystopia I have ever encountered.

Featuring:

Grumpy Sunshine besties

The Victorian Equivalent of the Chuck Norris Meme

A robot who undertook a course in People Management

An indefatigable beagle

This is another book that you can get from Gollancz all over the world, and you SHOULD because it's amazing. Go into your local bookshop and ask them to order it into stock. It's a great Christmas present. It's my firstborn book baby (like that's a completely normal thing to say when I didn't even write it). Also if you're a fan of the podcast, why not tell the Guardian how great it is, and make a nuisance of yourself until they review. (I would, but the form asks for your name and then they'd know I didn't suddenly discover Victoriocity this year. Either that or think I was a very careless editor.) If you've not listened to the podcast yet, you absolutely should. It pings all my Douglas Adams receptors in the best way. If you like HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE, if you like CABIN PRESSURE, VICTORIOCITY is the perfect addition.

HAMMAJANG LUCK by Makana Yamamoto

SLIGHTLY cheating because HAMMAJANG LUCK isn't out in North America until January (pre-orders make great Christmas presents guys), but it IS out in the UK and the rest of the world next week! This is my second big editorial project and it's a Big Gay Space Heist ft. disaster lesbians, trans characters, and a tech billionaire getting put in his place. It's joyous and energetic and crammed full of Hawaiian pidgin as a love letter to the diaspora. @makana-yama is a phenomenal writer and this is their love letter to their communities, families both born and found, while also a statement on the victims of gentrification (and how those are disproportionally BIPOC communities). PLUS:

friends to enemies to cautious allies to lovers

trans cyborgs

Suck It Space Elon

You know that One Scene in Charlie's Angels where Cameron Diaz is in the white body suit and breaking into the safe and has to stretch out to hit two buttons at once? Yeah. That's the vibe.

Being able to work with Makana is a delight, and HAMMAJANG tapped into all the feelings I got watching LEVERAGE for the first time, so I went to watch it again while I was editing. Also OCEAN'S 8.

DEEP BLACK by Miles Cameron

So, barring Branderson, Miles Cameron may be one of our most prolific authors. He writes a minimum two books a year, one SFF and one historical fiction (as Christian Cameron) and he is... An absolute phenomenon. He IS the Chuck Norris meme. I'm obsessed with him. He's former US military intelligence turned naturalised Canadian Hippy, has written over fifty novels, can turn his hand to any genre and write it fantastically, is a practical archaeologist - running large scale re-enactments from a variety of periods ranging from Bronze Age right the way up to the Victorian era, using traditional techniques to allow academics to study how the practicalities of weapons, clothes, food etc. would have worked in practice. Two years ago he won a medieval combat tournament in Verona, a clear ten years older at least than the next oldest competitor, he teaches Historical European Martial Arts, but ties it into the history of martial arts globally. He can make his own clothes, ink, leatherwork. He's a ballet dancer. I once took him for a day out and he ended it in a different shirt and shoes from the ones he'd started in. I asked him for an author photo and he sent me this:

DEEP BLACK is the sequel to his critically acclaimed SF debut ARTIFACT SPACE, where he has taken his research and experience of global historical cultures and extrapolated to create an interplanetary future where the best of all are celebrated. And then Aliens Happen. And then, in reaction, Capitalism Happens (which is covered in the short story collection BEYOND THE FRINGE).

He's such a thoughtful and erudite speaker, if you're curious about his work, I'd recommend listening to his episodes on the Friends Talking Fantasy podcast, and also his appearance on The Publishing Rodeo.

If SF isn't your bag, he's also got:

Arthurian fantasy

Bronze Age fantasy

Medieval Mages fantasy

A CURSE OF CROWS - Lauren Dedroog

I actually inherited Lauren when a colleague of mine departed for fresh pastures, which gave me the great opportunity to work on this series which is so vastly different from my usual fare. It's epic, sweeping, romantic and lush, with such detailed description and complex political machinations, while also being brutal, dark and heavy (tw: for sexual assault, torture etc, etc.). If you like Sarah J Maas and Cassandra Clare, this should hit the sweet spot. Lauren is an ICU nurse when not writing, and this was somehow created when she was putting in a million hours in hospitals during COVID. The feat boggles my mind.

A CURSE OF CROWS is out now in the UK, Australia and Europe, and it won the People's Choice for Standaard Boek's Book of the Year award in 2023, in her home country of Belgium. It will be hitting shelves in North America next September! A DANCE OF SERPENTS is where I get to pick up the editorial mantle, and that has just landed in my inbox this week so I am excited to dig in.

Featuring:

Harold, they're lesbians

Murder baby is actually a cinnamon roll

Sensitive wings are sexy

For serious, though, I'm lucky enough to work with a lot of authors I'm genuinely obsessed and astounded by. And yes, I do get to work on Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson and Andrzej Sapkowski, but they're not MY authors - they're led by the incredible Gillian and Marcus who I'm not 100% certain sleep. There are so many people on the Gollancz list who I could recommend for DAYS (and will, if you so request), but this is my stable of superstars.

[ruegarding]

so. percy's arc in boo (learning to step back, allowing leo to sacrifice himself despite his loyalty/fatal flaw) sucks. for many reasons.

for one, percy yielding is such an integral part of pjo. all of pjo. but even if u somehow missed it in the first four books, tlo explicitly spells it out. "sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding" hestia says to percy. "i yield when necessary. can you do this?" and then this is the climax of the story. "you are not the hero...it will affect what you do." percy has spent the last five books being told that he's the super powerful chosen one able to save or destroy the world, and he still chooses to yield to someone that has done nothing but betray him. "the line from the great prophecy echoed in my head...my whole world tipped upside down, and i gave the knife to luke." hoo acting like this is a lesson percy needs to learn is an affront to reading comprehension. percy lives bc he yields. and then he does it (yielding) again when he surrenders godhood, and power, to choose other demigods instead. this is not subtle writing.

for two, percy has rejected power, and his title, for the entirety of his story. percy doesn't even fully recognize how powerful he is until the volcano in botl. and he had to be told directly that it wasn't a fluke. then in son, percy immediately rejects the power and status offered to him. repeatedly. reyna offers him praetorship, he turns it down. frank is abt to let percy climb the wall first in the war games, percy says it was frank's claim. percy doesn't even want to go on the son quest but relents bc frank asked him. in moa, percy never demands that he lead. instead, he includes frank where he probably wasn't necessary, supports hazel, encourages annabeth, follows leo and piper's lead, and strategizes w jason. he isn't acting as a leader, but rather as part of a team. percy didn't need to "step back," the writing for the other characters needed to step up.

for three, percy had to be kidnapped and manipulated to be on this entire quest. he's not there bc he has a hero complex. acting like he has to learn to step back when he was quite literally shoved into place is wild.

for four, an integral part of percy's character is freedom, autonomy, and he extends this to the ppl he's loyal to. this is pretty explicitly established in tlt: "you're enough like me to understand," sally says. "if my life is going to mean anything, i have to live it myself." percy respects ppl's decisions. this is one of the first lessons he learns when he becomes a hero and an integral part of pjo: percy has to let sally save herself. percy has to let tyson go to the boiler. percy has to let bianca defeat talos. percy has to let nico walk away. percy has to let annabeth fight. if he loves them, he's going to let their lives mean something. even in hoo, percy still lets annabeth go on her quest alone, despite hating it, despite disagreeing w it, bc it's not his place to tell her what she can and can't do. this is her life. she has to live it. so this plotline doesn't even work it we ignore all of pjo and focus solely on hoo.

this theme of autonomy is especially important bc pjo is abt disability. one of the first things ppl try to take away from u when ur disabled is ur autonomy. the fact that percy vehemently defends it not just for himself but for others is essential to the narrative. percy advocates for other demigods, other disabled kids, and tyson, and he does so while maintaining their autonomy. it's why he's the leader, it's why he's the protagonist, it's why there is a callback to it in every pjo book. trying to act like he wouldn't respect someone's autonomy is a bastardization of this entire theme. which is actually fitting for hoo considering it bastardizes the rest of pjo anyway.

[fallecer-et-quetzal]

*Clucking noises*

"Hrrmm yes, garlic pasta does sound good right now"

[+10 Shrons]

"A tip for your cat watching pleasures: during cold days, you may keep a basket or a box of sorts near the heat and in the sun to lure cats into them. The smaller the container is, the more they have to squeeze into them the better they will like it."

[+50 shrons]

[Total: 110 shrons]

—-----------------

Today's Quests

Draw a small room 50 shrons

Tell us what you would like to eat at the moment 10 shrons

Give us a tip on any topic you like 50 shrons

—-----------------

[trans-luis-serra-navarro]

I wonder sometimes if Luis giving himself the title Don Quixote was self-deprecating in some way. Like SURELY he knew that the book itself was a satire on the genre of knighthood and chivalry, SURELY he picked up on the fact that Alonso was ridiculed at best and his quests were seen as foolish and delusions of grandeur right?? Did he he use the title of Don Quixote as a form of self-mockery and as a way to shield his self-loathing and guilt from the world with the facade of a confident knight???? Or did he throw himself into the interpretation of the book he fell in love with as a little boy, and clung onto the hope that maybe, MAYBE, his time would be different, that this time his journey WOULDN’T end in him as the fool again, that his dreams of a better and kinder world weren’t for nothing and that Don Quixote and Sancho Panza always made it out in the end??

Or did he know, regardless of his own feelings towards the character and the text, that it’d end in tragedy either way. Cuz surely, he knew he wasn’t gonna make it out of Valdelobos alive, no matter how badly he wanted to, no matter how much he fought tooth and nail to get out and right his wrongs for a better world. Maybe he took solace in the tragedy that was Alonso Quixana’s life and took on the role as a way of accepting his fate; that he’d meet an early death in the same village he grew up in, in the same place his Grandfather died in. Maybe that’s why he was so adamant on calling Leon his ‘Sancho’-

Cuz he knew Sancho would make it out alive, and Don Quixote wouldn’t. Maybe that’s why he was so adamant on having Leon be his Sancho. Cuz he knew, in the end, it was Sancho who saved Princess Dulcinea. It was Sancho who stayed by Alonso’s side right to the very end, and got to live his own happily ever after. Or, maybe, Luis was just hoping that Leon would provide the same comfort and security that Sancho did for Alonso- seeing past his delusions and mistakes for the man he truly is deep down inside. Even if it meant dying for him.

[tjalexandernyc]

He's got a cover! May I please introduce A Gentleman's Gentleman, out March 11, 2025 from Vintage Books.

You can help support my m/m trans historical romance right now, though! Please consider preordering from your bookshop of choice, adding it to your to-read list on GoodReads or Storygraph, or requesting your local library procure a copy (that's ISBN 9780593686201 in the US, 9780008716332 in the UK).

Note to UK folks: your version will be titled The Earl Meets His Match and will have a different cover (TBD).

Synopsis:

From the acclaimed author of Chef's Kiss, a groundbreaking trans Regency romance that's both delightfully witty and refreshingly iconoclastic. The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden is a “man of unusual make” and even more unusual habits: he prefers to live far from the prying eyes and ears of the ton, and would rather have the comfortable company of his childhood cook and his aged butler than the swarm of servants and hangers-on befitting a man of his station. But Christopher’s pleasant, if occasionally lonely life is upended when he receives word from his lawyers that, according to his late father’s will, he must find a wife by the end of the Season if he intends to keep his family’s fortune and the Eden estate. Christopher cannot imagine a worse fate: as he isn’t attracted to women, his chances of making a wife happy are slim. Furthermore, if his quest to marry has any hope of succeeding, he must move to London posthaste and acquire some more suitable staff. Enter James Harding, Christopher’s new, distractingly handsome—if rigidly traditional—valet. After a rocky start, the two strike up a fragile friendship amid the throes of the London Season . . . a friendship that threatens to shatter under the looming shadow of Christopher’s impending nuptials—and the secrets both men are keeping. With its heady combination of dry wit, slow-burn romance, and a nuanced portrait of trans identity, A Gentleman’s Gentleman stands to transform the historical romance genre as we know it.

Cover design by Mark Abrams

Photography by Alun Callender

Modeling by Zack Pinsent of Pinsent Tailoring

[theauthorandtheartist]

I think that, in Hyrule, there would be some legislature specific to the heroes. Like, there would be some protections in the books so that the hero wouldn't get sued or arrested for doing his job or protecting himself. There would probably even be laws specifically to help him along. (Disclaimer, I know nothing about how laws are made in a monarchy, or how to word them in legalese).

I think one of them would just be titled The Hero's Duty Act (and you bet that gets made fun of by everybody). It would basically state that a dedicated Hero of Hyrule has the express permission and ability to take care of a major threat in any way he deems appropriate: whether that be by sealing or execution or some other fashion. That way, after the journey is over, no stilted goons can come after the hero in court for murder or unlawful imprisonment. Of course, there would be Hella stipulations for what counts as a "major threat," as well as conditions that need to be met in order to qualify as a Hero of Hyrule.

"Impeeding the Hero's Journey" would be a crime. Basically, if anyone knowingly and in their right mind tries to hinder or full-on stop the hero from completing his quest, they can be arrested. I'd imagine the punishment would scale with the level of offence (a fine for needlessly charging the hero more for potions (since he kinda HAS to buy them), jailtime for blocking his way or restraining him somehow, or execution if you actively try to murder the kid (and he doesn't get you first)). You bet there are lawyers trying to prove in court that their clients didn't know that the skinny twink in green swinging a sword around was the hero, or that they were totally mind controlled.

There would probably be some sort of national emergency price cap specifically for when the hero is questing. Like, usually a red potion would go for 60-80 rupees a pop, but when catastrophe strikes the merchants are required to lower the price to 20 rupees max in order accommodate the influx of injured people and make sure the hero can survive off of minish-gifts and dropped monster wallets. The fine for breaking this law would stack with the fine for Impeding the Hero's Journey because come on man, that's just a dick move; he's like ten.

Of course, there's an entire section of the "self-defense" defense completely dedicated towards the hero, and what does and does not count as self-defense when fighting hylian foes. It's basically the same as the regular self-defense laws, but with mind-control added in and with words specific to the hero. It's in the books pretty much exclusively to prevent grieving angry families from coming after the traumatized ten year old who just saved them.

None of those laws probably existed when the first few heroes were around, in fact, I'd imagine that most of them didn't get written into legislature until the Hero of Legend. I'd imagine that "Impeding the Hero's Journey" would be written in sometime around the Hero of the Four Sword era, as well as a few of the self-defense laws, but the Hero's Duty Act and the finer details of the mind control stuff wouldn't be penned until after the Hero of Legend dealt with Aganahim.

There would probably be more hero-specific laws, but I can't think of any at the moment. If anyone more versed in law wants to revise or add any to my list, feel free.

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

NOW CLOSED!

Wanna win a queer historical romance book? Wanna win.... TWO queer historical romance books??

@tjalexandernyc and I are hosting a joint giveaway to celebrate our upcoming novels!

Enter for a chance to win a prize pack that includes ALL THE PAINTED STARS by Emma Denny, an advance reading copy of A GENTLEMAN'S GENTLEMAN (UK title: THE EARL MEETS HIS MATCH) by TJ Alexander, plus secret extra swag and treats.

To enter, just fill in this Google Form.

Giveaway will close on the 5th November - the date All the Painted Stars comes out in the US - so you've got one week to enter! Full blurbs as well as Ts&Cs under the cut.

ALL THE PAINTED STARS

When Lily Barden discovers her best friend Johanna’s hand in marriage is being awarded as the main prize at a tournament, she is determined to stop it. Disguised as a knight, she infiltrates the contest, preparing to fight for Jo’s hand. But her conduct ruffles feathers, and when a dangerous incident escalates out of Lily’s control, Jo must help her escape.

Finding safety with a local brewster, Lily and Jo soon settle into their new freedom, and amongst blackberry bushes and lakeside walks an unexpected relationship blossoms. But when Jo’s past catches up with her and Lily’s reckless behaviour threatens their newfound happiness, both women realise that the choices they make will always have a cost.

***

A GENTLEMAN'S GENTLEMAN/THE EARL MEETS HIS MATCH

The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden is a “man of unusual make” and even more unusual habits: he prefers to live far from the prying eyes and ears of the ton, and would rather have the comfortable company of his childhood cook and his aged butler than the swarm of servants and hangers-on befitting a man of his station.

But Christopher’s pleasant, if occasionally lonely life is upended when he receives word from his lawyers that, according to his late father’s will, he must find a wife by the end of the Season if he intends to keep his family’s fortune and the Eden estate. If his quest to marry has any hope of succeeding, he must move to London posthaste and acquire some more suitable staff. Enter James Harding, Christopher’s new, distractingly handsome—if rigidly traditional—valet.

***

Terms & Conditions

Open internationally. No purchase necessary. One entry per person at the link provided. Sweepstakes not affiliated with or endorsed by Google, Vintage Books, HQ, or any other entity. One winner will be randomly selected at 3 PM EST on November 5, 2024 and alerted via email. Winner will be required to share a valid mailing address in order to receive prizes.